Preventing eCommerce fraud on websites

Preventing eCommerce fraud on websites

Prevention is often better than cure. However, Business owners aren’t sure what to prevent, when, and at what time. 

A website is like a house. The front side is well-made, well-developed, and quite appealing. However, the backside may need assistance. Back windows, locks, and fencing. The website may be booking well but will need help later on. A few years without an incident does not mean the website is secure and should work as it is.

There are numerous layers of security and protection present in most e-commerce sites. This is also done for other websites to help reduce incidents of fraud and forgery online. numerous layers of security and protection can be added to a website to help reduce fraudulent transactions.

When professionals/agencies design and develop an online store, they have checklists of numerous sites to be made, before launching them.

Most often, affordable websites have been rushed by developers in offshoring. Also, DIY website kits are not safe and are commonly affected by fraudulent transactions. Low-cost options and DIY kits are not a bad thing, but they are common.

Different kinds of fraudulent transactions

Bot Attacks on checkout pages

Bot attacks take place on checkout pages. Online stores using eWay’s payment services reported that eWay often didn’t detect bot attacks because of its poor security mechanism.  Bots attacked checkout pages and spammed random credit cards. Clients have also reported eWay charging them excessive fees and this resulted in contracts with eWay being terminated.

This problem has been observed with eway many times. PayPal, Square, and Stripe haven’t shown such issues. This is why PayPal is usually embedded in education website design because eWay is unreliable.

Credit cards that are Stolen

A lot of banks still face this issue and even online store owners are facing it. Many orders for online stores look like normal orders. They get the order, pack it, ship it, and send it to customers, and within some time (a few days or maybe weeks), they get a chargeback. What is the cause?

The bank/payment processors notify stores that the card is/was stolen. The amount of compensation offered is either limited or negligible. Most of these orders can be shipped to rental houses, PO boxes, Airbnb houses, warehouses, and the like. Stolen credit cards are a gigantic risk but thankfully there are ways to cut down such kind of theft.

Minimizing fraudulent transactions on eCommerce websites (including WordPress and WooCommerce)

Experts from a well-known web design agency in Downtown Dubai would like to share with us handy tips on controlling fraudulent transactions in the online world:

Installation and configuration of a web application firewall

A web application firewall (WAF) acts as a website’s protection mechanism. It helps filter and monitor online HTTP and HTTPS traffic between a website/web app and the internet. The website is protected from malicious attempts (SQL injection, cross-site scripting, etc.).

Adding Google Recaptcha protects the checkout page

Implementing Google ReCaptcha on the checkout page helps add another layer of security. This helps differentiate between human and bot access. What it does is that can effectively block bot attacks and reduces the likelihood of fraud being committed by automated mechanisms.

Using CloudFlare bot protection

CloudFlare provides advanced solutions for bot management. They detect and reduce automated threats. This also helps protect the site from carding, scalping, credential stuffing, and other relevant attacks. Only legitimate users can access the checkout process.

Selecting a payment provider offering a 3D secure mechanism

Going for a payment provider offering 3D Secure Technology adding a layer of authentication for online payments. This cuts down the risk of unauthorized use of cards and raises the security of online transactions.

Using a multi-factor authentication mechanism for the checkout page 

Implementation of Multi-factor authentication (MFA) (or a two-factor authentication i.e. 2FA) is a must. It helps make sure authorized people are using authorized cards for transactions. This modus operandi involves the combination of the following:

  • What the user knows (a password).
  • The user’s device (phone).
  • The user’s fingerprint.

Why is all this necessary?

Those who wish to run an eCommerce site also have a duty to protect it duly. The measures discussed above are necessary because they help prevent eCommerce fraud and save eCommerce companies from a lot of financial trouble. 

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